Burchett, S., Hayes, J., Pfaff, A., Satterfield, E. T., Skyles, A., & Woelk, K. (2016). Piloting Blended Strategies to Resolve Laboratory Capacity Issues in a First-Semester General Chemistry Course. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(7), 1217–1222.
Blended strategies enable learners to engage in structured activities outside the traditional learning environment, in this case the traditional laboratory. This example demonstrates collaboration among 6 Chemistry professors from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and State Fair Community College in Missouri, USA. Concepts were identified from a first-semester general chemistry laboratory course that would best align with the lecture and then activities developed that allowed students to rotate between In-the-Lab and In-the-Commons work areas (with indirect supervision in the latter, i.e., more independent learning). The “ pilot” included a face-to-face section (n=23) and a blended section (n=24) with the same teaching assistants employed to reduce variables and bias. Average pre/post test scores showed no significant difference between the two delivery modes. The only disparity was between drop rates: from 11% for traditional delivery to 5% for blended. These results validate adoption of blended strategies for doubling course capacity without compromising the hands-on nature of traditional laboratory activities. Both the intervention and the research are sufficiently detailed to facilitate transfer.